A thought on Fear: I personally have allowed fear to hold me back from doing a number of things, including this blog. I read a blog today called “The Biggest Killer of Creativity” by guest blogger Allison Maruska and it inspired me. She mentions her anxiety of publishing her novel and that her fears were that it would be both criticized/ridiculed and also completely ignored. The only thing that I would add is what I tell everyone (including myself, every time I’m afraid to put anything out into the world): for any creative endeavor, there is someone who will connect with it and appreciate it. What we need to look past are those it won’t connect to (those that never see it and never will) and those it connects to in a negative way (the criticizers and ridiculers). We shouldn’t expect to please everyone. Our audience, our focus, are the people who will love it and be inspired by it. And when you think about them, the fear fades away to a dull murmur in the  background.

What I’m re-reading this week: I love time travel stories, they simply fascinate me. So, I’m re-reading the trilogy and between-the-books novellas in Rysa Walker’s CHRONOS Files series. We follow the adventures of sixteen-year-old Kate Pierce-Keller as she navigates the world of time travel and learns about her family’s legacy of meddling in the course of history. It may be in the Young Adult demographic, but the only thing “young” is the protagonist. The story arcs and time travel conundrums and consequences are given in all their complexity and the characters all have the depth of adult fiction. I’m excited to dive back into these!

My favorite dream interpretation this week:
Superhero/Heroine:
1. A male superhero represents a super intellect; thus to dream of seeing Superman, Batman, Spiderman, or whoever indicates that your mind is particularly sharp right now, and if there is a project you’re working on that requires a quick, agile, and insightful intellect, this is the time to concentrate primarily on it. Female superheroes such as Wonder Woman or Supergirl indicate a heightened supportive mind – and thus the dreamer’s intuition is operating at a very high level. Therefore at this time the dreamer should definitely believe in his or her hunches and go with them – no matter what the intellect tells you.
2. If the dreamer encounters both male and female superheroes, then both faculties of his mind are especially sharp right now. Use your intellect, but when in doubt, follow your heart.
3. If the superhero or heroine is flying, or performing a rescue, then your mental and/or intuitive faculties will save you from an uncomfortable situation.

My favorite Abraham quote this week:
“Every time you say, ‘I appreciate that. I really like that. I applaud that. I acknowledge the value in that.’ Every time you do that, you spend some of your Energy, and it is the spending of the Energy that creates a vacuum, so to speak, or an attraction, so to speak, that draws more and more and more and more.” —Abraham
To learn more about Abraham (channeled by Esther Hicks), the Law of Attraction, or to sign up for Abraham’s daily quote visit: http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php

My favorite writing prompt this week:
“The ghosts haunting your house wake you up because something is scaring them and need your help.”

My favorite writing quote this week:
“A day will come when the story inside you will want to breathe on its own. That’s when you’ll start writing.” –Sarah Noffke

My favorite from the inter-webs: DailyOm is a beautiful website with daily inspirational posts and horoscope posts for every sign. But my favorite part of this website is their courses. So far, I’ve taken two (“Way of Story Writing Course” by Catherine Ann Jones and “A Year to Clear What is Holding You Back” by Stephanie Bennett Vogt) and am looking at a third (“Overcoming Creative Anxiety” by Eric Maisel). Not only are their courses high quality, but the cost is really affordable ($10-$40). The topics cover: art and writing, meditation and relaxation, nature, home and garden, relationships, and many more.
Check it out at: http://www.dailyom.com/